J.Wessler: EP-G star headed to Big Apple

Tuesday

Dec 10, 2013 at 8:46 PM

Josh WesslerOF THE JOURNAL STAR

Rebekah Ehresman is not your typical student-athlete.

That should come as no surprise to anybody who has had the pleasure of watching the El Paso-Gridley senior in action on the basketball court, where she constantly stands tall among her opponents despite only standing about 5-foot-7.

Known as a consummate teammate with an ability to make filling out a boxscore seem almost effortless, Ehresman has done just about everything in her power to lead the Titans to victory since joining the program as a freshman. The team's leading scorer, rebounder, passer and defender, Ehresman has earned both local and statewide recognition for her talents.

But this weekend, the small-town girl is going national.

Recognized as a standout on both the basketball court and volleyball court, as well as in the classroom and community, Ehresman was recently named as one of the six national finalists for the 2013 Wendy's High School Heisman Award, which recognizes senior athletes for their academics, athletics and community involvement.

Along with the five other female finalists, and six male finalists, Ehresman will fly to New York City on Thursday to attend the awards ceremony, which will take place at the Best Buy Theater on Friday and will be televised nationally at 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.

"I was actually really shocked about it," Ehresman said Monday after scoring a game-high 15 points for the Titans in a 50-31 win at Deer Creek-Mackinaw. "I still am. I didn't expect to make top 20 in the state, let alone be one of the national winners, so I'm pretty surprised right now."

In addition to receiving a paid trip to the Big Apple, during which they will get to tour the sights along with past winners and candidates for the collegiate Heisman Award, all 12 finalists received gold medals and $2,000 awards for their schools. The two winners will receive a trophy, $10,000 for their school and will be recognized during the collegiate Heisman Trophy broadcast on Saturday.

Though she was just days away from stepping onto an airplane for the first time in her life, and will soon be appearing in front of a national television audience, Ehresman expressed more anxiety over missing two games while she is away.

"It's kind of killing me, actually," said Ehresman, who will be absent for the Titans' league game against Heart of Illinois Conference foe Colfax Ridgeview on Thursday and a nonconference tilt at Roanoke-Benson on Saturday.

"I just don't like to miss," she added. "I want to be there and be able to support them. But this kind of is an opportunity that I can't pass up."

Knowing that this day would eventually come, though maybe not so soon, EP-G coach Kyle Bobbitt has been preparing his team for life without their senior star.

"It'll be interesting," said Bobbitt, who has seen the Titans go 89-5 with Ehresman on the varsity roster.

"But it will be great for us; some girls will have to step up," he added. "And it's a great opportunity for Rebekah, a great honor, so it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

"That's a little bit more important than a game of basketball."

NEW DUCK DYNASTY? With just two starters back and more underclassmen on the roster (7) than upperclassmen (5) on the roster, some expected Havana to endure some growing pains in the early part of this season.

But so far, the good has outweighed the bad for the Ducks, who are off to a 9-0 start that included a 5-0 run to the title of the season-opening Macomb Tournament.

"I'm just real happy with where we're at, I really am," said Ducks coach Jerry Wilson, whose teams have produced at least 20 victories a year since the 2002-03 season. "I'm a little surprised, but not totally. For as young as we are, I'm not really so sure we're all that inexperienced. But we are young."

Three straight games on the road and the upcoming Beardstown Tournament could shed some more light on what exactly the Ducks have. But as time goes on and the younger players grow into their roles, Havana could become a formidable foe come postseason time.

"We've got a lot of kids who can play," Wilson said. "We've got good depth and fairly good balance, and we finally got a little size. We haven't had much of that here in Havana."

BUZZER BEATERS: Celina VanHyfte sits on the cusp of joining an exclusive club, and the Annawan senior likely won't have to wait long before getting her membership in the 2,000 point club. With 1,999 career points, the SIU-bound Bravette will get her next crack on Wednesday when Annawan hosts Prophetstown. ... Two of the area's top post players will square off on Thursday when Jennifer Berg and Midwest Central/Delavan head to Brimfield to take on Hannah Wallace and the unbeaten Indians. ... The annual Knoxville-Abingdon tournament kicks off Saturday. ... The seed meeting for the Beardstown Tournament will be held Wednesday.